Electric bond for rail joints



Nov. 21,1939. E. A. E VERIETT' 2,180,350

ELECT RIC] BOND FOR RAIL JOINTS Filed Sept. 4, 1936 Patented Nov. 21, 1939 ELECTRIC BOND FOR RAIL JOINTS Edward-1A. Everett, Long Island City, N. Y., as-

signor to Matthew H. Loughridge, Bogota, N. J.

Application September 4, 1936, Serial No. 99,432

4 Claims. (01. 173280) This invention relates to electric bonds for rail joints and has for an object to provide a reliable bond at low cost that can be applied to the head of the rail or to the web of the rail. In certain applications of rail bonds a conductor of the ribbon type is used and in other applications a conductor of the cable type is preferred. In

each case the conductor may be attached to the rail by means of a terminal to which the conductor is secured. An object of the invention is to provide a'conductor of' copper or similar material secured to a terminal plug made from a composite of steel and copper for driving into a hole in the rail. Another object of the invenl5 tion is to provide a plug fastener for securing a terminal to a hole in the rail made from steel witha welded coat of copper. Another object of the invention is to provide means for causing the expansion of the inner end of a fiat nosed attaching plug in a rail hole which has a conical end.

Other objects of the invention will be more particularly understood from the following specification and the accompanying drawing, in

5 which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a bond having a cable type conductor applied to the ball of the rail, the rail holes being indicated in section;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the bond shown in Fig. 3 is a cross section of the terminal on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4, Figs. 2 or 3, showing one method of forming the socket for 5 the conductor;

Fig. 5 is a cross section of the terminal with the plug showing one method of securing the parts of the terminal together;

Fig. 6 shows a terminal with the socket sectioned parallel with the base and showing one method of securing the stranded conductor in the socket;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of a steel plug with a Welded coat of copper applied to a conical ended rail hole for securing the terminal to the rail; Fig. 8 is another form of attaching plug shown in section, provided with a copper sleeve; Fig. 9 is a cross section of part of a rail indicating the method in which the inner end of the rail hole is expanded by the attaching plug.

This application is a continuation in part of the invention disclosed in the following copending applications: Serial No. 641,596 filed Nov. '7, 1932, now Patent 2,074,379, March 23, 1937; Serial No. 665,737 filed Apr. 12, 1933, now

is in place in molten tin, this prevents the ter- 40 and, if necessary, it can be made larger than Patent 2,112,694, March 29, 1938; Serial No. 700,841 filed Dec. 4, 1938; and Serial No. 56,865 filed Dec. 31,1935. In the drawing, H, H, Fig. 1, are the abutting ends of a pair of railway rails with the joint 12 5 between these rails and around which it is necessary to provide a conductive path for the electric current of the track circuit. The rails are drilled at l3 with a conical ended hole in which the flat nosed plug it is inserted and is upset 10 firmly in the hole by driving the outer end of the plug through the collar H: of the terminal. The terminal comprises a plate l8 perforated to receive the plug 14 and is clamped against the rail by the collar l5. The plate I8 is made from 15 sheet stock and may be rolled around the outer side of the collar l5 as indicated at l9 and the extended end ofthis. plate is rolled into a bell mouthed socket ll to receive the ends of the cable conductor l6. Each terminalis constructed 0 alike with similar parts similarly referenced.

The cable I6 is looped downwardly as indicated in Fig. 2 and it may be looped away from the rail as indicated in Fig. 1. The character of the cable conductor enables itto be readily bent 25 in any direction desired. It is necessary to anchor the ends 'of the bond in the terminal sockets so that mechanically the bond will have prop- .er strength. One of the most satisfactory ways for securing this result is to bring theend of the 30 cable through the inner end of the socket and mushroom the strands so that they are bent over to engage the edge of the socket as indicated at 20 in Figs. 3 and 6. In addition to this, the strands that come into contact with 35 the collar l5 may be welded, brazed or soldered thereto, as indicated at 22, Fig. 1, and at 2|, Fig. 6'. One way in which this result can be securedis to dip the terminal after the cable minal from resting and prevents moisture from getting access to the parts.

One convenient way of forming the socket is to roll it from the same stock as the plate l8 the cable and clamped tightly on the cable after assembly. The plate I8 may be secured to the collar l5 as indicated in Fig. 5 by rolling. the

edges of the plate as indicated at .21 over the ledge 28 and the base of collar l5. 50

The plug I 4 may be constructed of steel with a welded coat of copper as indicated in Fig. 7,

in which the core 29 is steel and the outer walls 30 are copper. When this plug is driven into an oversized rail hole it can readily be upset as indicated'at 3i to fill the rail hole which makes a tight mechanical connection and forms a seal to prevent moisture entering the hole. In addition, the copper wall of the plug is brought directly into contact with the rail, thereby improving somewhat the electrical connection. Steel with a welded coat of copper is a well known commercial product produced by the rolling mills in which the core of steel is surrounded by a wall of copper. This material is also sometimes called copper clad steel. The plug in Fig. 8 is provided with a copper sleeve 33 over thesteel core 32 which is shouldered at 34 to provide an abutment for the sleeve. In this type of plug the driving force is applied to the steel end of the plug and cannot injure the copper sleeve. The copper sleeve prevents rusting of the plug and the steel body enables it to be driven into the rail hole, the same as if the entire plug were made of steel. The advantages of the steel plugs with the welded copper coating for driving into the rail hole'resides in the plug per se and these ad-. vantages obtain with any form of attachment between the plug and the conductor.

It is found that when a plug of this type is driven into a rail hole with a conical end it spreads the inner end of the hole as indicated in Fig. 9 and the plug spreads correspondingly, making a tight connection with the rail. The extent to which the nose of the plug can be expended in the rail depends, among other conditions, upon the relative hardness of the nose of the plug and the rail. The relatively thin copper wall in Fig. 7 engaging the rail hole is compressed as the nose of the plug is driven against the end of the hole. Copper, ordinarily is not compressible and if it were free to flow, instead of being welded to the steelcore of the plug and confined. in the rail hole, it would tend, under the pressure, to flow, back and out of the hole. In

' practice the steel plug with the copper coat expands in the hole by the driving so that the copper forms a tight seal at 3| and the inner ,end of the rail hole is expanded as shown in a somewhat exaggerated form at 26, Fig. 9.

It should be observed that the rail hole is cylindrical and the plug is cylindrical and, as the plug is driven in the hole, any excess in its diameter is shornofi, but this excess or skin is a relatively small portion of the copper coating and aids in providing a bright, fresh surface for contacting the walls of the rail hole. When the plug is driven out of the hole, the hole is bright and the copper prevents injury to theedges of the hole so that the same hole can be used for a second plug.

It should be observed that when the solid plug is driven in the rail hole, the hole is completely filled, except for the conical space I3 and the metal is replaced as solid as the metal that was removed in drilling. The overhang of the rail head is supported at the joints by the splice bars which fit snugly between the base of the rail and the head and the load transmitted through the rail head to the splice bar is supported in compression by the plug substantially the same as the undrilled part of the rail.

The term copper weld steel has been used to describe the plug as in Fig. '7. Commercial stock drawn in bars suitable for these plugs is sold un-- der this designation which is used herein as a matter of convenience to include any method of copper coating, such as the sleeve in Fig. 8. It is necessary that the coating be welded to the steel, or that it be applied in such manner that there will be no relative movement between the coating and the steel as the plug is driven in place. The shoulder at 34 in Fig. 8 secures this result.

It should be observed that the rail hole is cylindrical and the plug is cylindrical and as the plug is driven in the hole any excess in its diameter is shorn off, but this excess or skin is a relatively small portion of the copper coating and aids in providing abright, fresh surface for contacting the walls of the rail hole.

In the variety of constructions illustrated it should be understood that many of the features can be interchanged and some of these features may be used with other types of bonds not illustrated in the present application, also the cable attachment can be used with terminals of the solid type as well as those with the sliding pin, without departing from the intent and purpose of the invention.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. In combination, a rail with a conical bottomed hole, a terminal with means for securing a conductor thereto, an aperture in said terminal corresponding in diameter with the bottomed rail hole and a fiat nosed cylindrical plug made from steel with a welded copper coat securing said terminal to the rail by driving the plug through the aperture of the .terminal into the rail hole to expand the plug in the rail hole.

2. In combination, a rail with a conical ended hole, a terminal having an aperture therein corresponding in diameter with the rail hole, a conductor secured to said terminal and a flat nosed cylindrical plug of steel with a welded copper coat driven through the aperture of the terminal into the rail hole, said plug connecting with said conductor through said terminal.

3. In combination, a rail with a conical ended hole, a plug of steel with a welded copper coat of uniform diameter and of greater length than the depth of the hole for driving into the rail hole, said plug having a flat nose to engage the to said plug.

4. In combination, a rail with a conical ended hole, a plug of steel with a welded copper coat of uniform diameter and having a flat nose for driving into the rail hole and a conductor secured to said plug. EDWARD A. EVERETT.

conical end of the hole and a conductor secured 

